Open AccessTransition of the functional brain network related to increasing cognitive demands
Author(s) -
Finc Karolina,
Bonna Kamil,
Lewandowska Monika,
Wolak Tomasz,
Nikadon Jan,
Dreszer Joanna,
Duch Włodzisław,
Kühn Simone
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
human brain mapping
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.005
H-Index - 191
eISSN - 1097-0193
pISSN - 1065-9471
DOI - 10.1002/hbm.23621
Subject(s) - workspace , cognition , task (project management) , default mode network , modularity (biology) , computer science , psychology , working memory , hum , functional specialization , cognitive psychology , neuroscience , artificial intelligence , engineering , biology , genetics , art , systems engineering , performance art , robot , art history
Network neuroscience provides tools that can easily be used to verify main assumptions of the global workspace theory (GWT), such as the existence of highly segregated information processing during effortless tasks performance, engagement of multiple distributed networks during effortful tasks and the critical role of long‐range connections in workspace formation. A number of studies support the assumptions of GWT by showing the reorganization of the whole‐brain functional network during cognitive task performance; however, the involvement of specific large scale networks in the formation of workspace is still not well‐understood. The aims of our study were: (1) to examine changes in the whole‐brain functional network under increased cognitive demands of working memory during an n‐ back task, and their relationship with behavioral outcomes; and (2) to provide a comprehensive description of local changes that may be involved in the formation of the global workspace, using hub detection and network‐based statistic. Our results show that network modularity decreased with increasing cognitive demands, and this change allowed us to predict behavioral performance. The number of connector hubs increased, whereas the number of provincial hubs decreased when the task became more demanding. We also found that the default mode network (DMN) increased its connectivity to other networks while decreasing connectivity between its own regions. These results, apart from replicating previous findings, provide a valuable insight into the mechanisms of the formation of the global workspace, highlighting the role of the DMN in the processes of network integration. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3659–3674, 2017 . © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.